Pembury Partners Travel Diaries: Dubai
We’re currently working on a few roles in Dubai, and it’s a place in which we have some exciting projects planned for the near future. We thought therefore that we’d take a brief closer look at this UAE hotspot.
Dubai is the most highly populated city in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), and of course the capital of the Emirate of Dubai. It’s grown from a small fishing village in the 18th Century to being one of the world’s landmark cities, a global transport hub and a pantheon of luxury tourism, financial services and real estate.
Expats make up over 80% of the population, so it’s a truly international city too. This is partly due to the city’s status as a centre for business in the region, but there are many other reasons as well. One of the best known is that you don’t pay income tax – an intriguing prospect to be sure. The high-tech, high-living lifestyle one can lead is also very attractive to many, as is the sunshine, excellent education and high standard of living, easy accessibility, and the fact that English is very widely spoken. In short, it’s a fine place to live and work.
There are a huge number of things to see, do and experience in Dubai, many of them record-breaking in their stature. Here are just a few:
The Burj Khalifa is the first of the record breakers, being the world’s tallest building at 829.8 metres – or just over half a mile – high. Take a trip to the viewing area on the 124th floor on the world’s longest-travel lifts (or elevators, for our American friends) and enjoy the very best view of Dubai.
1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd, Downtown Dubai, UAE http://www.burjkhalifa.ae
Another record goes to the Aura Skypool, as the worlds highest 360-degree infinity pool. Suspended over 200 metres up, there’s nowhere else quite like it to experience the feeling of being on top of the world.
The Palm Tower, Palm Jumeirah, 50th Floor, Dubai, UAE https://auraskypool.com
Ain Dubai, aka the Dubai Eye, is the worlds largest observation wheel, rotating to a height of 820 metres: think of the London Eye’s comparatively meagre 135 metres magnified many times.
Bluewaters, Bluewaters Island, Dubai, UAE http://www.aindubai.com
If shopping rather than vertigo is more your thing, the Dubai Mall is the world’s biggest shopping mall, with retail space of over half a million square metres. It’s also home to an Olympic-size ice rink, a 250-room luxury hotel, 22 cinema screens and over 120 restuarants and cafes.
Downtown Dubai, UAE https://thedubaimall.com
Much more serene is the Mohammad Bin Rashid Library, the largest cultural centre in the region. The building houses over 1.5 million books, and is itself is designed to look like an open book. Within you’ll find library halls, exhibition spaces and a theatre.
Al Jaddaf , Dubai, UAE https://www.mbrl.ae
About 60 miles out of the city, Hatta Wadi sits in a valley in the Hajar Mountains, with peaceful, beautiful landscapes. Naturally there are more adrenaline-fuelled activities on offer as well, from mountain biking, kayaking and hiking to zorbing, ziplining, paragliding and much more.
Dubai-Hatta Road, Sufayri, Dubai, UAE http://visithatta.com
We’ve only scratched the surface of Dubai with these few suggestions – the city and Emirate has a huge amount to offer both the traveller and the expat alike. Visiting, or living and working, in Dubai can be a rich, diverse, exciting experience.
Pembury Partners operates globally, placing household staff in the finest residences in Dubai, the UAE, and indeed the rest of the world.
